A known sorting apparatus comprises a plurality of conveyable-article carriers which circulate on at least one conveying device and are intended for receiving and transporting the conveyable articles and for discharging them in a controllable manner, each conveyable-article carrier comprising a fixedly arranged wall part and a movably arranged wall part, the movably arranged wall part forming, in a closed position, together with the fixedly arranged wall part, a receiving pocket for the conveyable articles, the movably arranged wall part forming, in a discharging position, together with the fixedly arranged wall part, an ejection slit which is open at the bottom and is intended for the conveyable articles, and one of the two wall parts forming an ejection chute which adjoins the ejection slit at the bottom and is inclined counter to the transporting direction. In the case of such a sorting apparatus, which is known, for example, from WO 95/02469, the ejection chute has the effect of reducing the relative speed between the discharged conveyable articles and a sorting container which receives the latter. Moreover, even when the conveyable articles are located obliquely, the ejection chute permits vertical discharge and ordered stacking of the conveyable articles in the corresponding sorting containers.
The earlier German Patent Application 19516666.3 describes a device for transferring articles, which is likewise suitable for mail in particular. This transfer device has a transfer element which receives, between an endlessly circulating conveying belt and an endlessly circulating pressure-exerting belt, articles arriving on a first conveying device and discharges these articles to circulating article carriers of a second conveying device. Reliable transfer of the articles is achieved in that it is possible to displace the discharging region of the transfer element in the transporting direction of the article carriers, and in that the transfer element and the second conveying device are aligned with respect to one another such that the articles are discharged into the associated article carrier without a movement component transverse with respect to the transporting direction.
During the transfer or the discharge of articles into conveyable-article carriers circulating on a conveying device, it may be the case that, depending on the speed and mass of the respective conveyable articles, there are more or less pronounced jolts against the wall parts of the conveyable-article carriers. In addition, the aim is to design a conveyable-article carrier with as lightweight a construction as possible, in order to keep the production outlay low and to reduce the mass of the circulating conveyable-article carriers. Thus, for example during sorting of mail, use is preferably made of conveyable-article carriers whose wall parts are produced by the injection-molded plastic.